Star Trek: New Horizons
by AussieNick
Summary: The turbulent state of the galaxy has never deterred Cadet Joseph Warren or his classmates from joining Starfleet, until their training cruise throws them into the deep end.
1. Chapter 1: Shakedown

Joseph Warren dropped to one knee, his grip on his phaser tight but relaxed, his aim steady. The first two Klingons were dropped by stun beams before they could so much as draw their disruptors. The other two, seated at their stations at the front of their bridge, leaped to their feat and drew their own weapons, roaring for their fallen comrades.

The two closed on Joseph quickly, forcing him into cover with disruptor fire, while they readied their curved daggers - called mek'leth - in their other hands. Joseph thanked fortune that they weren't carrying bat'leths. He'd be content in life if he never faced those.

One of the Klingons cursed as his disruptor overheated and let out plasma with a loud hiss. Joseph quickly ducked out from the support pillar he was hiding behind and fired his phaser straight into the warrior's face. The last Klingon rushed forward and drove his knife at Joseph, who rolled backward just before the blade was driven into his neck. The Klingon fired a disruptor shot that missed him by inches, giving Joseph the chance to drop him with one last stun beam.

Panting, he stood up and surveyed the four disabled Klingons with accomplishment.

"Computer, end program."

The bridge of a typical Klingon warbird dissolved around him, replaced by the grid walls of a Starfleet holodeck. Cadet Joseph Warren holstered his phaser and walked toward the main doors, where Captain Masc Taggart and Cadet Elisa Flores were waiting for him.

"Well done, Cadet Warren," said Masc Taggart, a Denobulan with dark red hair. "You're not going to break Miss Flores' record anytime soon, but your score was more than satisfactory."

Joseph afforded himself a quick glance to his right. Elisa Flores, a short woman with dyed red hair, smirked at him in pride.

"Thank you sir," he said, standing at attention. "May I ask what my assignment is?"

"You're to be my first officer for this training cruise," Taggart explained. "Regardless of your Engineering background, I'm sure you'll be up to the task. I trust there are no objections?"

"No sir," said Joseph. "I won't let you down, Captain."

"Of that, I have no doubt cadet," said Taggart. "I'd love to stay for the party but our ship has some last-minute refits due. I'll meet you on the bridge at 1800 hours, cadets."

"Yes sir," said Joseph and Elisa in unison, snapping to attention and saluting. Taggart returned the salute and strode off toward the holodeck.

"First officer!" Elisa exclaimed once Taggart was out of sight. "How does a nerd like you end up first officer on a training cruise?"

"Obviously the captain recognises my greatness," Joseph said smugly.

"Well at least now you've got permission to boss us around."

"I've been doing that for four years without anyone's permission, Flores."

"Don't get too comfortable, Warren. A few years in the real world and I'm gonna leave you in the dust."

"'I'm gonna leave you in the dust, sir'," Joseph corrected. "Now, unless you can beat me to the turbolift, I'm afraid rounds are going to be on you."

* * *

If they even had money in the 25th century, Elisa Flores would have indeed been buying everyone's drinks that night. Elisa may have been the better shot out of the pair, but Joseph could easily lap her in a race.

"Just...promise me...one thing," she panted as the turbolift took them to the observation deck. "During...your speech tonight, say something heartwarming. Make T'Vrell cry."

Joseph rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Elisa. That girl is an exemplary Vulcan. I'm pretty sure she feels nothing."

"Now I know that's not true!" Elisa told him as the turbolift door slid open. "Remember that one time she walked in on us-"

"God, keep your voice down!" Joseph hissed, looking ahead to the group of cadets waiting for them. All of them were watching their approach, but none of them showed any sign of hearing that last part of their conversation.

"Alright people," Joseph told the crowd. "Drinks are on our out-of-shape tactical officer tonight!"

Elisa glared at him while the other cadets laughed, T'Vrell excluded of course. Joseph gave her his best attempt at a pained smile, as if to say, throw me a bone please? T'Vrell gave him a shrug and a look that was almost smug.

"Why don't we quiet down and let the nerd talk?" Elisa said loudly, handing out synthahol to each member of the group, finishing with Joseph, who cleared his throat.

"Alright, Elisa challenged me to make T'Vrell cry tonight, so please enjoy my half-hearted attempt at being personal tonight."

Before he could see if the joke landed, T'Vrell said, "Since Joseph persuaded me to retake the linguistics final, I may just indulge him."

That got laughs, especially from Flores.

"Well thank you, T'Vrell," he told her. "Humor aside, I don't think words can express how much the last four years have meant to me. I know a lot of us, myself included, had our moments where we wondered if walking away was the better option. Now that we're past those moments, I'm glad we could all stop each other from making the biggest mistakes of our lives."

Most of the group murmured their agreement.

"I don't know where we'll all be once this training cruise is finished, and I'm going to miss seeing all of you each and every day, but I'm grateful for the four years we've had and I know that our best years are ahead of us. So here's to the class of 2409, and to the future."

* * *

A fleet of shuttlecraft departed from Starfleet Academy's hanger bay a few hours later, just as the sun was beginning to set over San Francisco. The fleet made a beeline for the drydock stations adjacent to Earth Spacedock, one of which was occupied by a small, compact Miranda-class cruiser, the other by a sleek, long, modern-looking vessel.

"The USS _Vesta_," said Flores in awe, staring at the latter vessel through the shuttle's viewport. "The first of her class."

"Little too big for my taste," said Cadet Anne Potter, the best pilot in their class. "Bigger ships are slower, they're harder to control, and they're an easy target. An escort ship's the best place to be in a one-on-one fight."

"Some of joined Starfleet to explore, Potter," Flores teased. "Escort ships aren't much use outside of combat. And most don't have holodecks. Where's the fun in that?"

The shuttle fleet stayed clear of Vesta's drydock and proceeded toward the smaller, Miranda-class ship.

"That small enough for you?" Joseph asked Potter.

"I'm glad this is only a training cruise," said Flores, shuddering. "I'd hate to be stuck in those crew quarters with T'Vrell."

"Don't let Taggart catch you saying that," Joseph told her. "I hear the _Athens_ is his pride and joy."

"Of course you're not complaining," said Flores, pouting. "First officers get their own quarters, don't they?"

The shuttlecraft docked in one of the two shuttle bays aboard _Athens_, both of which were big enough for only three shuttles apiece. The occupants, all of them cadets from Joseph's graduating class, lined up near the exit doors to recieve their assignments. Joseph and the other bridge officers - T'Vrell, Flores, and Potter - cut past the lines and reported straight to the duty officer, a short, grey-haired woman with Commander's rank insignia.

"Name and position?"

"Cadet Joseph Warren, Acting First Officer."

"Cadet T'Vrell, Acting Communications Officer."

"Cadet Elisa Flores, Acting Tactical Officer."

"Cadet Anne Potter, Acting Helm Officer."

The Commander nodded, glancing at the PADD in her hands to check off each name. "Alright, take the corridor left and take the turbolift to the bridge."

* * *

Captain Taggart stood to greet Joseph when he and the other bridge officers arrived. The others gave quick salutes before making beelines for their stations, while Joseph stood at attention.

"At ease, Number One," Taggart said.

Jason relaxed and said, "Number One?"

"A habit I picked up during my time on the Enterprise," Taggart explained. "Capt- I mean, Admiral Picard, always called his first officer that. I always liked the habit."

"Understood sir," said Joseph. "Are we ready to depart?"

"First things first, Number One. We need to get clearance from Spacedock to depart, then close the shuttlebay doors and clear all moorings. I take it you know the procedure?"

"Yes sir. T'Vrell," he said, his gaze snapping to the Vulcan at the comm station, "get clearance from Spacedock for _Athens_ to depart."

"Working," said T'Vrell. A moment later she added, "Clearance to depart granted, sir."

"Flores, close the shuttlebay doors," Joseph told Elisa.

"Shuttlebay doors closed and locked."

"Potter, disable all tractor moorings."

"Tractor moorings cleared, sir. We're ready for departure."

"Very good, Mr Warren," said Taggart. "Helm, ahead one-quarter impulse."

Joseph was in the process of settling into the first officer's chair when he stopped. "Captain, I believe regulations specify thrusters only while in Spacedock."

Taggart grinned approvingly. "Glad to see you're paying attention. You heard him, Potter. Ahead, thrusters only."

On the viewscreen in front of them, the edges of drydock receded away as the ship glided forward on thrusters.

"Cleared from drydock, Captain," Flores reported, giving Joseph an excited grin.

"Good. Let's start with something easy," said Taggart. "Helm, set a course for Vulcan, Warp 3."

"Course laid in sir."

"Engage."

* * *

Warp 3 was more than halfway to _Athens'_ maximum speed, but even Warp 5 was hardly fast by Starfleet standards. Halfway through their four-hour journey, Captain Taggart retired to his ready room and left the bridge to Joseph.

"Feel free to try out the chair, Number One," he told Joseph, halfway to his ready room. "Don't worry, it doesn't bite."

"Come on Warren," Elisa prodded after Taggart had left. "Even nerds like you dreaming of sitting in the center chair."

Joseph bristled as if in outrage. "That is hardly professional conduct, Miss Flores."

"You're one to talk," Anne muttered from the helm console."

"Sir," said T'Vrell, one hand pressing against her earpiece, "I'm receiving a distress call from the freighter S.S Break Even. Audio only."

Joseph tapped his combade. 'Captain Taggart to the bridge. T'Vrell, put the distress call on speakers."

_"This is the freighter Break Even!"_ came a raspy voice shrouded in static._ "Our warp core is failing. We're in need of assistance!"_

"What's the situation?" asked Captain Taggart, stepping onto the bridge.

"A freighter, the _Break Even_, says their warp core is failing," Joseph explained.

"Location?"

Joseph looked to Flores, who said, "It's just outside the Pollux system, Captain."

"Helm, lay in a rendevouz course with the _Break Even_, maximum warp," Taggart ordered, settling into his seat.

"Course laid in, Captain. ETA, three minutes."

"Captain," said Flores, "sensors can't read anything in the vicinity of the_ Break Even_."

"Communications are out as well," T'Vrell reported.

"Keep trying to hail them again," Taggart told her, then turned to Joseph. "Number One, you've heard the distress call. What do you suggest?"

"Is this part of the test, Captain?"

"Trust me, cadet, this is real," said Taggart.

"Well, it's odd that the distress call is audio only. A warp core malfunction shouldn't affect communications," said Joseph.

"I thought the same thing," said Taggart. "What do you advise?"

"We go to Yellow Alert," said Joseph decidedly. "Pollux isn't far from the Klingon border, and it's lightly defended. We don't want to be caught off-guard."

"Raising the shields does seem to be a good precaution," Taggart admitted. "Very well. Flores, ready our shields and weapons. Mr Warren, go down to the transporter room and coordinate the rescue efforts."

"Aye sir."

* * *

In Athens' transporter room, Cadet R'raak's combadge chirped. He tapped it and said, "R'raak here."

_"The Break Even should be in range,"_ said Joseph over the comm. _"Give me an update."_

"I'm trying to get a lock on the survivors now," said R'raak, his fur-covered hands flying over the transporter controls. "There's some odd readings I can't make out."

_"Stay calm and remember your training. You'll do fine, R'raak."_

"Almost got them sir."

On the transporter pad, several confinement beams appeared, stretching from the ground to ceiling. Within the hazy, swirling lights of the transporter beam, humanoid shapes came into focus. The first thing R'raak could make out was the hard, bony ridges on their foreheads.

"Klingons!" he shouted, before a disruptor bolt took him down.

* * *

_"Klingons!"_ he heard R'raak shout before the sound of disruptor fire overtook the comm.

"R'raak?" Joseph said as the comm went dead. He tapped his combadge again. "Transporter Room, come in."

No response. Joseph tapped his combadge again and said, "Warren to bridge, someone fired a disruptor in the transporter room. I can't raise anyone."

_"It's the Klingons,"_ said Captain Taggart, _"just as you predicted. Security's getting Klingon transporter signatures all over the ship. I need you to unlock the armory. Use your personal command codes. Report in once you've gotten the deck secured."_

"Yes sir. Warren out."

As soon as the turbolift doors opened, Joseph jogged down the corridor until he came across two of his classmates standing outside the armory door.

"Joseph," said Cadet T'Kira. "We need your command codes to unlock the armory."

Joseph pushed past the pair and quickly typed his codes into the door's control panel.

"Everyone grab a rifle," he said as the door slip open. "We're retaking this deck, starting with the transporter room."

* * *

R'raak held one hand to the bloody wound on his leg, and with the other he fired his phaser blindly. But there were three of them in the transporter room and only one of him, and as one lay down fire the other two stalked forward, blades ready.

The doors slid open and Joseph, T'Kira, and Cadet Bryce blanketed the room with phaser fire, dropping the three Klingons in a second.

"Hold still, cadet," said T'Kira, kneeling down next to him and pulling a dermal regenerator from her pocket.

"What's happening?" R'raak asked Joseph as the wound closed.

"The distress call was a ruse," Joseph informed him, looking mean and intimidating with a phaser rifle in his hands. "We've got Klingons all over this deck. We're on our way to clear Engineering. You up for some payback?"

R'raak stood up slowly and tested his leg. "Bit sore, but I'll live. Let's go."

The four officers stalked quickly through the main corridor, picking off any Klingons they encountered before they had a chance to fire back. Joseph was thinking back only to the countless training simulations in which he'd done the very same thing. Those were usually pretty convincing, but Joseph wasn't feeling the same confidence he'd felt during them. This time, a direct hit from a disruptor would mean death, not a black mark on his grades.

"The number of Klingons in this area is surprisingly small," T'Kira noted.

"They're probably focused on taking Engineering," said Joseph. "Pick up the pace, people. We can't let them damage the warp core."

To no surprise, Engineering was alive with phaser and disruptor fire. Zarva, a Bolian and Acting Chief Engineer, was smart enough to have drawn their fire away from the towering warp core, but it had a cost: several of their fellow cadets, lacking proper cover, had fallen to disruptor fire. Joseph fought back the urge to check them for life signs and opened fire on the swarm of Klingons, dropping to one knee just as a disruptor bolt soared over his head. Cadet Bryce went down screaming, one arm bloody, but most of the disruptor shots, fired while dodging phaser fire, went wide.

After what was only a few seconds, Engineering was secured and people scrambled to check on the wounded.

"Zarva," said Joseph. "What's our status?"

"We've taken a beating sir," she reported. "Warp engines are offline and shields are weakening. Plus...we lost two people sir. Cadets Morris and Reilly."

"Don't think about that now," Joseph said softly, then tapped his combadge. "Warren to bridge, we've secured Engineering."

_"Good work cadet. We're doing our best up here, but this battle cruiser is crippling us. Any help from your end would be much appreciated."_

Joseph thought fast. "I might be able to reinforce our structural integrity field. I'll see what I can do. Warren out."

He sped past the group of cadets and toward the power transfer station in a corner of Engineering. His hands flew over the controls as he diverted power from everything non-combat related and sent it into the structural integrity field. He spotted several hull breaches over the ship and made sure to prioritise those areas, as well as the bridge, Sickbay, and Engineering.

"Warren to bridge," he said. "It's done. I've patched up the hull breaches as best I could and put stronger fields around key areas."

_"Good work,"_ said Taggart. _"Security tells me most of the ship is secured. Meet me back on the bridge. We're finishing this."_

"There's a gap in their aft shields, captain," said Flores as a phaser beam impacted on the hull of the I.K.S Chot.

"Fire torpedoes, full spread!"

A hail of photon torpedos sped toward the ship's hull, blasting through a section of their lower hull. Taggart smiled triumphantly. "Good shot, Flores."

"Damn!" Flores hissed. "Klingon transporter signatures!"

"Where?"

"Right here!"

Disrupter fire blanketed the bridge before anyone could draw their phasers. Elisa ducked behind the tactical console as two Klingons seized Captain Taggart by the arms. She heard them bark some order in Klingon, before the three of them disappeared in a red transporter beam. A moment later, Joseph walked out of the nearby turbolift.

Elisa drew her phaser and began firing at the remaining Klingons, but Joseph's rifle took down most of them in seconds. The stragglers, content with their prise, beamed back to their own vessel.

"What happened here?" Joseph demanded of nobody in particular.

"They took the captain," Elisa said quickly, her heart racing. "They transported aboard and beamed out with him before we could do anything."

"Alright," said Joseph. "Just relax. What's the status of the Klingon vessel?"

"They've taken some moderate damage," Elisa told him, her hands shaking madly, "but their weapons are fully operational. Plus, they've cloaked."

"Sir, they're hailing us," said T'Vrell, nursing a bruise on her forehead.

Joseph turned to the viescreen, his face stern. "On screen, T'Vrell."

The screen became filled with the image of a Klingon crusier's bridge, with a bruised, bloody Captain Taggart held by his arms by two Klingons. A third, clearly the captain by the decorative cloak he wore, smirked at the Starfleet crew.

"This is Captain Kadek of the I.K.S _Chot_!" he said triumphantly. "You may have forced my boarding parties off your decks, but my ship is still cloaked and you have no hope of finding us! Surrender now or I will destroy your ship and its crew!"

"Never," said Joseph bluntly.

Kadet gave a dark smile. "Then perhaps your captain will change your mind!" he said, turning to Taggart. "It's your choice, Captain. Do you want these children to die?"

Taggart raised his gaze to the viewscreen, to Joseph's waiting look.

"Mr Warren," he said, coughing up blood, "you're the captain now. Your orders...are to lock onto my combadge and fire!"

Kadet swore, and before Joseph could react, he pulled a dagger and thrust it into Taggart's stomach.

The scene felt like a gut punch, and Joseph froze as the viewscreen blinked off.

"We...we have target lock, Captain," said Flores, staring at her console blankly.

Joseph snapped back to reality, and forced out, "Flores, fire."

A single photon torpedo found it's mark just beneath the ship's bridge, briefly illuminating its outline in a bright explosion as it turned and made a retreat.

"They're still cloaked," said Flores, choking up. "No sign of them sir."

Joseph sighed, and wandered back to the captain's chair. Flores had been right earlier that day; even he'd fantasised about having his own command. But now, all he wanted was to be back at the Academy. That place was easy compared to this.


	2. Chapter 2: Field Promotion

"Elisa, status report."

"All decks reporting in, sir," said Flores, lacking her usual bravdo. "Sickbay's full with injuries, and fifteen people have been confirmed dead, as well as the captain. We've got life support and impulse power, but all our other systems are damaged."

"Tell Zarva to focus on getting our weapons and shields back online," Joseph ordered, staring ahead at the viewscreen. "Everything else is secondary. T'Vrell, send out a distress call."

"I have been trying, Captain," said T'Vrell, her tone steady even now, "but something is jamming all long-range communications."

"Keep trying," he said shortly, tapping his combadge. "Zarva, damage report."

"_Still running diagnostics Captain. It's taken us some time to get everything back online." _

"T'Vrell, hail the _Break Even_."

The debris field that was occupying the viewscreen became replaced by the image of a very nervous-looking Ferengi. Joseph fought back the urge to recoil; he knew it was wrong to judge based on looks, but he failed to find a better word to describe the Ferengi than 'ugly'.

"Quark, I take it?" Joseph said dully to the Ferengi.

"Um...yes, that's right," Quark stammered. "Please accept my deepest apologies for deceiving you, captain. Those Klingons they had disruptors pointed at every one of us. They even sabotaged our warp core to make things look convincing-"

"Never mind that," said Joseph irritably. "It's done already. What's your status?"

"Well um, we're short a few warp induction coils," said Quark. "If you could spare any, I would be most appreciative."

"_We can spare a few of those, captain,_" said Zarva over the comm.

"Beam them over to the _Break Even." _

A moment later, Quark said, "Thank you, Starfleet! And good luck with the Klingons, you'll need it."

The comm link was cut, and they all watched the _Break Even _jump to warp on the viewscreen.

"Well at least he said thanks," Elisa muttered.

"Zarva, what about that damage report?" asked Joseph.

"_I'm installing our spare plasma injectors now. We should have warp speed in a few minutes. I can't give you more than Warp 4, sorry captain." _

"That'll be fine," said Joseph. "Elisa, any sign of the Klingon ship?"

"No, but she's left a pretty conspicuous plasma trail for us to follow."

"Shields and weapon status?"

"Both at full power, somehow."

"Finally, some good news," Joseph muttered. "Anne, follow the plasma trail, full impulse."

"Joseph, you got a second?" asked Elisa.

Joseph swivelled in his seat. "What is it?"

"We should keep the battle cruiser to our side when we engage it. Our forward and aft phaser beams overlap."

"So we can hit them with both weapons at once," Joseph finished. "Good thinking, Elisa. And make sure one of our higher yield torpedoes is ready. I want our next shot to hurt. Anne, get ready to swing around on my signal so that we're directly facing the Klingon ship."

"Speaking of which, that ship is de-cloaking!" Elisa warned.

The I.K.S _Chot, _a fierce-looking battle cruiser, faded into view before them.

"Hard to port!" Joseph barked, and the cruiser veered to the left. "Elisa, fire phasers."

Direct hit on their port shields," Elisa reported.

"Put up the tactical screen," Joseph ordered. The viewscreen blinked and produced the live sensor data of the two ships. The Klingons had fallen into a circling pattern, attempting to bring _Athens _into range of their forward weapons. Anne, ever independent, was already matching their motion, keeping them in range of both phaser banks.

"Their port shields are down!"

"Anne, swing us around!"

The ship banked to starboard and Elisa, ahead of Joseph, fired a full spread of torpedoes into the _Chot's _port side. Most of the outer hull disintegrated in the resulting explosion, and the crippled vessel cloaked again.

"We've really hurt them now," said Flores, her confidence recovering. "Another few hits and we'll have them."

"Good firing," he told her. "T'Vrell, any luck with that distress signal?"

"Negative," T'Vrell said, "but I've discovered the source of the jamming signal. The Klingons appear to have set up two jamming satellites in this system. I am transmitted the relevant data to Cadet Flores now."

"Got it," said Elisa. "They're a few million kilometres ahead, and unshielded. A few phaser blasts and they're gone."

"Anne, get us in weapons range," said Joseph. "T'Vrell, get ready on that distress call."

"We're in range Captain."

"Elisa, care to do the honors?"

"Gladly," said Elisa darkly, firing both phasers at the two turrets. "Targets destroyed, sir."

Joseph exchanged a smile with her, then looked expectantly at T'Vrell.

"The distress call has been sent. The USS _Chimera _is responding and en route. ETA two minutes."

James sighed in relief. "Alright, good work people. Let's keep our guard up until the _Chimera _arrives."

"The Klingon ship's decloaking!"

"Flores, fire phasers. Put some more torpedoes in them when you've got a clear shot!" Joseph ordered.

"She's coming about," Elisa warned. "Torpedoes incoming!"

"Divert power to the forward shields," Joseph told her.

The ship rocked violently at the torpedo impact, sending Joseph and most of the bridge crew out of their seats.

"Damage report," Joseph ordered as he climbed back into his chair.

"Another hull breach, deck five," Elisa reported. "Force fields holding. Starboard thrusters are gone."

"Potter, put some distance between us and the Klingon ship. Flores, divert as much power to the shields and weapons as you can. Take the warp core offline if you have to."

"Aye sir," said Flores. A moment later she added, "The _Chimera_ is dropping out of warp!"

"Onscreen."

The viewscreen blinked to show a looming Federation destroyer approaching the batter Klingon ship.

"Fire phasers, Elisa."

"Target, sir?"

"At your discretion."

"Happily, sir."

Phaser beams from the _Athens _and _Chimera _slashed through the battle cruiser's shields, melting away at the hull and cutting the ship in two. The after section floated away, leaking a gas trail of plasma in its wake while the remaining portion of the ship fired wildly as it lost control.

"Flores, put a torpedo through that thing!" Joseph snapped.

A final barrage of torpedos - four in total - soared across the viewscreen and ripped clean through the ship's bow, leaving a swirling debris field in their wake. What little fragments of the ship remained recognisable melted away to nothing. The I.K.S _Chot, _and her captain, burned before them.

The bridge went quiet, and for once Joseph could hear the red alert klaxons and the crackling of flames, smell plastic and circuitry burning, and feel smoke stinging his eyes and throat.

When a rapid alert emitted from her station, T'Vrell broke the silence and said in her usual even tone, "The _Chimera _is hailing us, Captain."

Joesph took a deep breath, ducking his head to avoid the film of smoke that had settled over the bridge, and said quietly, "Onscreen."

The shattered remains of the Klingon ship gave way to a view of the _Chimera's _sizable bridge and her captain: a Ferengi whose small figure didn't quite reach the headrest of his chair.

"This is Acting Captain Joseph Warren of the USS _Athens._ Thank you for your assistance, Captain Nog."

Nog gave a polite smile that revealed sharpened, pointy teeth. "Glad to be of assistance, Cadet. Tell me what happened here."

"We responded to a distress call from the S.S _Break Even. _They claimed their warp core was failing, but they'd actually been taken hostage by the Klingons. They boarded us and captured Captain Taggart, who ordered us to fire on his position before he was killed."

Captain Nog's face sobered. "I'm sorry to hear that. Captain Taggart was a fine man. I take it you are in command of the _Athens _now, cadet?"

"Yes sir. I was Acting First Officer."

"Well I'm sure you've done him proud. What's your status?"

"We've taken heavy damage sir, but our warp drive is operational."

"In that case," said Nog, "we'll escort you back to Earth Spacedock. Give me a moment to inform the USS _Khitomer _that-"

Although barely audible, the rapid alarm from a console on the _Chimera's _bridge was unmistakable. Nog turned toward the sound. After a few moments, he turned back to the viewscreen, his face furrowed.

"My communications officer is unable to answer the _Khitomer,_" Nog explained. "I know what your crew has been through, cadet, but we'd appreciate your help in investigating this. Are your people up for it?"

Joseph hesitated. He turned toward Flores for answers. She nodded, although not with enthusiasm.

"We're ready and able, captain," Joseph told him. "Send us the _Khitomer's _coordinates and we can get underway."

Nog's grin returned. "Glad to have you with us. For the moment I'm granting you a field promotion to lieutenant. _Chimera _out."

* * *

The entire ship was quiet for the half-hour journey to the Pollux system. Lieutenant Joseph Warren and the few people not occupied by repairs took the time to change into fresh uniforms and have a much-needed meal in the remnants of the mess hall. The room was strewn with debris from the ceiling, and several tables had to be uprighted.

Joseph spent most of the time on the bridge, walking by every station to check on his friends. Everyone was dirty and tired, and most sported bruises or cuts of some kind. And they all looked at him differently. Joseph hadn't had time to notice it before, but the thirty minutes of relative peace had given him time to realise that he wasn't just another starry-eyed cadet anymore. He was a Starfleet officer and, more than that, he was their captain.

He settled back into the centre chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Coffee, sir?"

Joseph looked up. Elisa Flores, wearing a fresh officer's uniform and a single ensign's pip on her collar. In her hands were two steaming mugs.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking a mug from her as she settled into the seat to his right. "I needed that."

"I think everyone needs it," she said. "I got a hail from Captain Nog while you were out. He just wanted to remind us to maintain some kind of command structure over here."

Joseph sighed; he knew he'd forgotten something. "Well, you were the main tactical officer, so I guess that makes you first officer now. Hope you don't mind doubling up on duties."

"I'll manage sir," Elisa said. Then she dropped her voice and added, "Are you going to manage, Joey? I'm worried."

Joseph took a careful sip of coffee. "I'll be fine. We just took on a Klingon battle cruiser and won. After this business with the _Khitomer _is done, we're heading straight back to Earth. This is almost over."

"We still don't know why the _Khitomer's _gone silent," she reminded him. "We shouldn't get too relaxed."

Joseph groaned quietly. "Let's hope it's just a comm malfunction. Or just Klingons. At least we know we can win against Klingons."

That got a smile from Elisa, although she still looked exhausted. "Well, we'll find out in a few minutes. We should be arriving at Pollux any minute now."

* * *

"Anne, drop to impulse."

The USS _Athens _dropped out of warp in front of an enormous blue gas giant. Joseph would have been amazed by the view if there weren't other matters.

"The _Chimera _just dropped out of warp next to us," Elisa told him. "The _Khitomer _is dead ahead."

"T'Vrell, hoping a hailing frequency to both the _Khitomer _and the _Chimera_."

"Channel open, sir."

Captain Nog's image came into clear view on the viewscreen, but the other half of the screen was taken up by static through which the _Khitomer's _captain was barely visible.

"Boost the signal, T'Vrell. Cut through the static."

The dark-skinned form of Captain Jay Yim came into clearer focus, although the image was grainy and blurred.

"Ah, Captain Nog and...Captain Taggart?" he said, barely audible.

"No sir," said Joseph, raising his voice a little. "Captain Taggart was killed in a battle against the Klingons. I'm Lieutenant Joseph Warren, his former first officer."

"We came to investigate when couldn't hail the _Khitomer_," Nog added. "Captain Yim, what's your status?"

"There are some anomalies in this system that are troubling me," Captain Yim explained. "It's possible that they're interfering with our comm system. We'd appreciate some helping in scanning these anomalies."

"Agreed," said Nog. "We should transmit all the sensor data we collect to the _Chimera. _We have the largest science facilities. Any questions, people?"

"None sir," said Joseph.

"Good," said Nog. "We're transmitting coordinates to the _Athens _now. Start your sensor sweep there."

_Athens _split off from the two ships, proceeding toward one of the large cloud-like patches.

"We're in scanning range, sir," said Flores. "I'm getting traces of gamma radiation...but there's something off about these readings."

"Indicating what?" asked Joseph, hoping for something innocent and non-dangerous.

"I-I'm not sure, sir," Elisa said, flustered. "I'm transmitting the data now. Maybe the _Chimera _can make sense of it."

"Good work," Joseph told her. "Anne, take us to the next scanning point."

The ship sped forward, then stopped again. This time, Joseph heard Elisa slam her palm against the console in annoyance.

"Take it easy," he told her quietly. "We're just a small ship and you're not a science officer. Nobody expects miracles here."

"The _Khitomer _is hailing us, sir," said T'Vrell.

"Onscreen."

"Lieutenant," said Captain Yim, "are you getting the same gamma radiation readings that we're getting?"

Joseph nodded. "We can't explain it either, Captain."

"My science officer suggests a reverse tachyon pulsewave scan," said Yim. "Report back after your final scan."

"Anne, take us to the final scan point."

"Yes sir. Scanning range in eight seconds."

Joseph let out a sigh as Elisa began the final scan. _Let this be it. Let us go home after this._

"Captain," Elisa said, "I'm picking up a transwarp signature. It's right on top of us. Oh God, the Borg!"

_Shit. _

"Red alert!" Joseph ordered. "Anne, evasive maneuvers. Elisa, fire phasers."

"What the hell?" Elisa muttered as the phasers discharged. 'Their shields are down...firing torpedoes!"

On the viewscreen before them, a barrage of torpedoes slammed into the small vessel, breaking it into several chunks.

"That was…" Joseph murmed.

"Too easy," Elisa finished, looking grim. "It was just a light probe. Minimal defences."

"Captain, the _Khitomer _is hailing, they're under attack," said T'Vrell.

"Put us on an intercept course, full impulse. Elisa, fire at will once we're in range."

"Aye sir," said Elisa staring at her console with wide eyes.

Joseph realised he was gripping the armrest of his chair. He let them go and flexed his arms, sighing. He made eye contact with Elisa, and even she couldn't find a reason to smile.

"We'll be alright," he told both of them, not that he believed it himself.

* * *

"The _Khitomer_'s been heavily damaged," Flores reported. "Two probes circling. Their shields are weakening."

"Target both ships and fire phasers. Get ready on those torpedos."

Two more torpedo barrages launched from the _Athens. _Combined with fire from the _Chimera, _boh probes were reduced to nothing.

"The _Khitomer _is hailing, sir. Audio only."

"Let's hear it."

"_This is the Emergency Medical Hologram aboard the USS _Khitomer. _I am requesting assistance from any Federation vessel in range. I am unable to contact anyone on board." _

"EMH?" said Joseph. "Alright. Give me a situation report."

"_The Khitomer is being overwhelmed by Borg boarding parties. These Borg are different from the ones in my history records. They seem...disconnected somehow. They're strange, but still dangerous." _

"We've our fair share of problems out here," said Joseph. "Any chance you could hold out on your own?"

"_I am an Emergency Medical Hologram, not a miracle worker!" _

Joseph sighed. "T'Vrell, can you bring Captain Nog into this comm link?"

The viewscreen segmented, the other half blinking with Captain Nog's image.

"Captain Nog, someone on board must have activated the EMH. He doesn't have the protocols to activate by himself."

"Agreed," said Nog. "The EMH may have been activated because nobody on board is fit to take command. Right now, we have bigger problems. I need you to finish collecting data from the probes the _Khitomer _launched. We need to know the extent of the Borg presence here."

"What about the _Khitomer_?"

"We'll handle that. We're better prepared to fight the Borg. Lieutenant," he said, his face hardening, "I need to know now if you and your crew can't handle this. The Borg can rattle even experienced officers. I can understand if a crew of cadets have trouble coping."

The bridge of the _Athens _went completely silence, and Joseph knew everyone in the room was waiting for his response. Joseph swallowed, the chance to go home and forget about all of this right at his feet.

_Walk away now, Joseph. Go back to Starfleet, resign your commission and all of this will be over. _

"Captain," Joseph said finally, "would you give me a moment to confer with my crew?"

"By all means, but don't take too long."

When the comm link was muted, Joseph stood up and faced his crew.

"Guys, I'll be completely honest here. We're Starfleet officers and we have a duty here. But I'm not just your captain. I've been friends with all of you for four years, some of you I've known even longer than that. I'm not going to order this ship into more danger without hearing from you guys."

"Well…" Flores began, "we're scared. All of us. We all studied Admiral Janeway's tactics regarding the Borg, but none of us expected to use them so soon. Even with the _Chimera _and the _Khitomer _here, everyone's on edge. I've already got counselors working with some of the crew."

"Good," said Joseph, "but if anyone doesn't believe they can cope, I'm prepared to tell Captain Nog that I can't order my crew to give more than they have."

Elisa looked shocked. "You'd let us disobey a superior officer? I know Captain Nog says he would understand, but how's Starfleet going to react?"

"I'll take full responsibility for what happens here," Joseph told her. "I might be your captain, but I'm your friend, above all else. I'm not going to order any of you to die. If that gets me kicked out of Starfleet, so be it."

Elisa blinked, and Joseph was shocked to see her wipe away tears; he'd never seen her cry before.

"Cap-Joseph, I can't speak for anyone else here, but I'm staying with you, no matter what happens."

Joseph nodded, and had to hold back tears of his own. "Anyone else?"

The bridge was silent. Elisa spoke up, "Do you want the counselors to convey a message to the rest of the crew."

Joseph thought for a moment. "Tell them...tell them I'm going to do everything I can. I'm going to get us through this."

"I'm holding you to that," said Elisa, a grin spreading across her face. "I can't think of a worse fate than being stuck as a drone with you."

Her heart obviously wasn't in the joke, but it got a few chuckles from around the bridge. Joseph looked around the bridge. Everyone was at their stations, waiting for orders.

"T'Vrell, put Captain Nog back onscreen."

He sat down as Captain Nog appeared on the viewscreen again. "Sorry for the delay, Captain. My crew is ready and able."

Nog grinned. "Glad to have you with us, Lieutenant. Our away teams are securing the _Khitomer _as we speak. In the meantime-"

"More transwarp signatures!" Elisa told him. "They're right on top of us!"

"Onscreen!"

Before the three ships, an enormous hexagonal-shaped gateway emerged, obviously of Borg design. Along with it were three Borg probes.

"Flores, target the nearest probe and fire at will."

"Captain," said T'Vrell, abandoning her station to join Joseph's side, "our phasers take between twenty and thirty seconds to disable the shields of Borg probes. I believe I can provide a more efficient means of draining their shields; a sustained tachyon beam from the main deflector."

"How quickly can you set that up?"

"I will need at least two minutes."

"Get onto it. Elisa, status of the nearest probe?"

"Forward shields at 74%, but it's turning away from us."

"Anne, keep us on that probe's rear. Make sure Elisa has a clear shot at its shields."

The ship shuddered as a Borg plasma beam lanced against the hull, causing a power conduit in the bridge's ceiling to short out and send sparks flying. The turbulence increased as a second passing vessel opened fire on them in conjunction.

"We're losing our port shields," Elisa reported. "The Borg probe's shields are still holding."

"T'Vrell, how's that tachyon beam coming?"

"The beam is ready, Captain. Activating now."

A stream of bright blue light shot out from _Athens' _deflector, appearing to bounce harmlessly off of the probe's shields.

"It's working!" Elisa shouted with joy. "After shields are down. Firing torpedoes."

One torpedo later, the probe was a burnt wreck.

"Hell yes!" Joseph exclaimed. "Good work people. Now let's finish off those other ships!"

"More transwarp signatures incoming. One of them's way larger, possibly a sphere," said Flores.

"Divert whatever reserve power is left to the shields," Joseph ordered. "Hang in there, everyone. We'll get through this."

Elisa was correct; accompanying several more Borg probes was not one, but dozens of spheres.

Joseph slammed the armrest of his chair. _Damnit! _

"I'm detecting over two-hundred individual signatures," Elisa whispered, awe-struck.

"An invasion force," said Joseph darkly. "Elisa, keep firing. Let's do as much damage as we-"

But instead of opening fire on the helpless Starfleet vessels, the Borg armada ignored them and warped out of the system, save for a single sphere to mop them up.

A single sphere, against three ships.

"Fire everything we have at that last ship!" Joseph ordered. "It's one ship, people. We can win this!"

A barrage of torpedoes and phaser fire from both ships, as well as a tachyon beam from _Athens, _engulfed the remaining sphere, which in turn fired plasma weapons wildly. Everyone on the bridge was thrown upward by at least a metre when a plasma torpedo struck the underside of the ship's hull.

"Hull breaches on decks four and five!" Elisa shouted above the warning alarms. "The sphere's shields are at 14%."

"Fire torpedoes, full volley."

"We've only got two torpedoes left," Elisa told him.

"Make them count then."

_Athens' _last two torpedoes streaked across the space between the two vessels. One clipped the side of the vessel, tearing through a chunk of its hull, while the other slammed into the sphere's centre. Explosions ripped through the hull, sending plasma spewing from the breaches.

"The sphere's lost power, it's warp core is breaching!" Elisa shouted.

"Didn't I say we'd be fine?" Joseph said sarcastically, still reeling from the battle. "T'Vrell, hail the _Chimera._"

"Good work Lieutenant," said Nog as soon as he appeared on the viewscreen. "Your crew's done well. Not many people can face down the Borg and keep their composure."

"All part of the service, Captain," said Joseph, "but it's not over. There's a Borg invasion force out there."

Nog sighed. "Of course, things can never be simple. Their target is probably the Vega colony. It's the nearest star system."

"_Athens _can get there ahead of the Borg fleet," Joseph replied, " but what about this transwarp gate? The Borg could send more ships through it."

"We'll take care of the transwarp gate. You get to Vega and warn those colonists."

Joseph nodded. "Understood, captain. Good luck."

"You too, Lieutenant."

With that, the comm link was cut.

Joseph ran a hand through his black hair and sighed. "Anne, set a course for the Vega colony, maximum warp. T'Vrell, hail Vega colony as soon as we're in range. Elisa, you tell Engineering to start manufacturing more warheads. And everyone," he added, standing up and facing his crew, his friends. "Get some rest, all of you. It'll be a few hours to Vega and we might not get a chance to relax again."


End file.
